I know, right? Who do I think I am? I blog about books for a lot of my posts and yet I dare to say that I'm not much of a fangirl? Is that, like, possible? Ummmmmm...well, yea, it kind of is.Fangirls are female (or sometimes male, I guess) fans of movies, TV shows, books, actors, you name it. Fangirls own fandom swag. Fangirls can't stop talking about their fandom. Fangirls fangirl with other fangirls over their fandom. To put it bluntly, fangirls are obsessive. I, on the other hand, am not.Now, please do not get me wrong. I have no problems with fangirls. Let them fangirl all they want. I also am not saying that I do not love any books or movies or TV shows or actors. Actually, yeah, I do not love any actors because I barely know the names of the actors in the movies/TV shows that I watch. The only two I actually know are Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hiddleston and Julie Andrews because I hear about them all the time. Oh, and Martin Freeman, because The Hobbit is awesome. As I was saying, I still really like some books/movies/TV shows. For example, I love The Hobbit, Doctor Who, The Lord of the Rings and The Lunar Chronicles. The main difference is that I do not insanely obsess over these things.Some fangirls I know bring up their fandoms every five seconds. I mean, they live for their fandoms. Not me. I like to talk about the books/movies/TV shows that I like, but my fandoms are not my life. Instead of obsessing over fictional realms, I like to take up other activities to fill my time. Fandoms do not take up my time like my hobbies do.Finally, I'm kind of glad that I'm not much of a fangirl because some fangirls can be scary. Seriously. There are so many reasons for a fangirl to jump on another fangirl by saying that they are not a true fan. For example:

You don't watch the episodes in order!

You don't read the books in order!

You have know idea who (insert obscure insignificant character here) is!

You don't get (insert obscure insignificant fandom reference here)!

You don't own any (insert fandom) t-shirts!

I'm sorry, but these remarks kind of scare me. Okay, okay, I get it. I'm not a true fangirl. I'm sorry. Please don't throw those tomatoes at me. Oh, that's better. Actually, I'm not sorry. I can like things, but I do not feel the need to fangirl over them obsessively. Just because I like something, doesn't mean that people should expect me to fangirl madly over it. Moderation, people, moderation.

I hope you enjoyed the story of Ana Ideline, the not fangirl. Are you a fangirl, or do you prefer to enjoy your favorite books/movies/TV shows non-obsessively and with moderation? I'd love to hear your comments loud and proud, no matter which side you're on.

Wow! This might be the first time I've come across a (girl) bookworm who isn't a fangirl.

I do "fall in love" with books sometimes and think about them for much of my day. But I find it difficult to gush about the story, especially face to face with others. I guess it's just not in my personality. :)

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Ana

06/26/2014 11:05am

I fall in love with books too and there are many books that have kept me thinking about them for days after I've finished them. However, even though there a lot of books that I like, I'm not totally obsessed with fandom activities and the like.

PS, On a more sophisticated note, there is a third type of person, aside from hard-core fangirls and bookworms/movie-watchers; the people who inhabit what I like to call the Middle Ground. These people (much like myself), do get very excited about there fandoms, and may gush about it in the presence of other fandom members, and perhaps mention it to others. I feel like there's a lot of pressure to either fangirl about something, or have a minimal reaction, when in reality, others like myself enjoy a happy middle ground. So, to conclude my little blurb, while it is definitely fun to fangirl about something and obsess a little, being in a fandom is not like a light switch, with only two positions. In fact, it is a large scale with many different levels of obsession. Thank you. Good night.

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Iris

06/27/2014 8:51pm

Adonia... I think you are not completely on the middle ground... you are either a very very very intense middle grounder, or a not so intense fangirl...
(just my thoughts.)

Ana

06/28/2014 6:50am

Well someone seems to be very passionate about this subject. I agree with you about this Middle Ground. However, I interpret the Middle Ground as that people fangirl intensely over some things, and not so intensely over other things. For example, I think you are a hardcore fan of Doctor Who, while you like, but not necessarily fangirl over Sherlock. Iris on the other hand, intensely fangirls over Sherlock and not so much Doctor Who. Me, well, I like different things, but I don't really gush over them. Except I might have gushed about The Lunar Chronicles after I read Scarlet. Hehe. I was mad at Kai, okay?

Ana

06/28/2014 6:52am

Comment deleted

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Iris

06/28/2014 12:06pm

Who da heck is Julie Andrews...?

I sound like a gangsta! :D

(also, I don't watch doctor who, so I really CANT gush about them... but I do have other fandoms that I don't talk so much about, like all those mangas... but that could just be because you guys don't really read manga. I have ma manga buddies, and ma book buddies. Both are awesomesauce.)

Ana

06/28/2014 12:57pm

I think I got the name right? Didn't Julie Andrews play Mary Poppins? Or am I mixing her up with someone else?

You always sound like a gangsta! :P

True. Have you ever seen a Dr. Who episode? Oh...manga...yeah. I really don't know anything about manga or anime, so...

Iris

06/30/2014 4:54pm

I have never seen a Doctor Who episode... except for little glimpses when I walk past my brother while he is watching it.
It's okay if ya don't know much about manga. ^.^ Manga is really very intensely weird, anyways.

Adonia

06/27/2014 7:21pm

PPS, if you do ever delve into any fandoms, watching episodes/reading books in order is VERY IMPORTANT to fully enjoy and understand the story. I feel like if not, it takes away majorly from the plot. I know that for me, reading books out of order can just ruin a series for me, even if it comes highly recommended by others. It's like, once I KNOW that something is going to happen, then I can't enjoy the rest of a story, because I end up too focused on what the heck is happening and how we get from where I am to where I know the plot is going. I know that it's different for everyone, but it makes me a little nuts.

Reply

Ana

06/28/2014 12:49pm

I can't stand reading books in a series out of order. It is so confusing. I understand your point for TV shows too. I guess for me, though, I'm a little bit less emotionally attached to TV shows than books, so I'm fine with watching them out of order.

Reply

Adonia

06/28/2014 12:41pm

Oh, gosh dangit. Looking back on my comments from yesterday, i feel kinda bad about how i blew up on u guys. Sorry

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Author

Hi! My name is Ana Ideline. It's actually a pen name, but I publish things under my real name. Maybe I'll reveal it. Maybe. This blog is mostly about writing, reading and running. However, from time to time I may post about other topics, as long as they involve the imagination!